Friday, September 30, 2011

Rumors of this bird's extinction have been greatly exaggerated.

After being believed to be extinct for 150 years, DNA testing confirmed that the New Zealand Storm Petrel is not quite as extinct as previously thought. Though spotted a few times since 2003 by bird watchers, this is the first verified evidence of the tiny bird’s return. Very little is known about where the birds have been breeding and living during all this time or even how many of them are alive, but flocks of up to 40 birds have been seen every mating season since the first (re)sighting. Unfortunately, this species lives at sea for most of the year and only returns to shore to mate. The location of the mating site remains a mystery, despite use of radio transmitters attached to the birds.BirdLife International donated $20,000 to the group that rediscovered this thought to be extinct species to continue to search for enough evidence to put the bird onto official Department of Conservation programs for endangered species.Have a great weekend!

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Researched and written by Dr. Rebecca Malamed, M.D. with assistance from Mr. Malcolm Potter.